Queensland’s First World War death registers digital story

State Library recently commissioned a digital story, to highlight the unique First World War death registers held at Queensland’s Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (RBDM). These registers are hold almost 10,000 names, but none of the soldiers registered died in Queensland. Between 1921-1924, as a means of providing Queensland families with some kind of closure, the then Registrar-General George Porter took it upon himself to register the deaths of those who had, in his words, “given their lives for Queensland”.Copies of completed death certificates were then made available to relatives for two shillings.

George Porter (1876-1968) was appointed to the Queensland Public Service as a messenger in 1892 and became a clerk in the Statistician’s and Registrar-General’s Office in 1902, a second clerk with the Registrar-General’s Office in 1911 and Deputy Registrar-General and chief clerk in 1918. After a period as Acting Registrar-General from 1 October 1921, he was officially appointed on 1 April 1922, holding this position until 31 July 1930.